The Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) held its 13th National People's Conference in Gweru, Midlands Province at the Gweru Convention and Exhibition Centre from 5th -9th December 2012.

The Conference was officially opened by the President and First Secretary, Cde R. G. Mugabe. Each District sent one delegate drawn from the Main Wing or Women's League or Youth League. The rest of the delegates were drawn the Provincial leadership upwards as well as the ZANU PF Johannesburg District in South Africa.

The Conference received solidarity messages from ANC (South Africa), represented by Cde Jeff Radebe, Member of the National Executive Council, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Tanzania) was represented by its Secretary for External Relations, Dr Rose Asha Migiro, FRELIMO (Mozambique) was represented by Cde Sergio Quantinho, Member of the Central Committee. Politburo Member, Cde Theodore Quarter, represented MPLA (Angola) while SWAPO Party (Namibia )was represented by Central Committee Member, Cde Hilma Nican as well as from local affiliate organisations.

1. PARTY MOBILISATION

• Whereas the people's revolutionary Party is committed to safeguarding, defending, promoting, widening and deepening the ideals and values of Zimbabwe's heroic liberation struggle for the benefit of all Zimbabweans today and in posterity;

• Impelled by the imperatives of Zimbabwe's current "Chimurenga Moment" to indigenize the national economy, empower the indigenous population and its communities, develop and grow the economy to generate new wealth and income and to create employment opportunities especially for the youth who make up the majority of the economically active community;

• Noting that the GPA and the Inclusive Government, legally and constitutionally, ought to have come to their end after the expiry of the two years reckoned from the inception of the Inclusive Government ;

• Determined to defend Zimbabwe's national sovereignty to ensure peace and the holding of free and fair elections in 2013;

• Resolutely opposed to the use of any form of political violence for electoral or any other purpose whether physical or otherwise and whether instigated or perpetrated by elements internally and externally inspired.

• Driven and guided by the imperatives of national unity, national cohesion and the wellbeing of all Zimbabweans;

• Committed to the promotion of regional and international solidarity among progressive forces;

• Aware of the geopolitical intrigues, plots, manoeuvrings and regime-change agendas of imperialist and neo-colonial forces to resolve their crippling economic crises by seeking to recolonize developing countries to exploit their natural resources under the guise of economic market reforms, democracy, good governance and human rights;

• Congratulating the Party's Midlands Province, the Midlands Development Association , consulting architects and engineers and their cooperating partners for the construction of the magnificent Gweru Convention and Exhibition Centre;

• Alarmed by the unrelenting covert machinations by Western imperialist forces and their proxies,;

Now therefore, Conference resolves;

a) To confirm the President and First Secretary, Cde R.G. Mugabe, as elected at the last Congress to be the Party's Presidential Candidate in the Harmonised Elections to be held in 2013.

b) To direct all structures of the Party to earnestly and immediately prepare for a resounding victory in the forthcoming elections by adopting a "Bhora Mugedhi"/ "Ibhola Egedhini" posture.

c) That the guidelines for the selection of Party candidates for the conduct of primary elections must provide for free and fair primary elections in the spirit of the founding principles of ZANU PF and to prohibit the imposition of candidates .

d) Exhorts every member of the Party to be guided, instructed and bound by the vision, direction, ideals, values and the imperative for unity paying due regard to the enduring principle that we are our own liberators under the banner; "Iwe neni tinebasa" / "Wena lami silom'sebenzi".

e) To urge the Party to revive and develop a cadreship policy that nurtures a broad human resource base for deployment by the Party and to introduce structured compulsory ideological programmes.

f) To call upon the Party to develop innovative, robust and relevant mobilisation strategies to attract and maintain the support of women, youths, people with disabilities including encouraging organisations and associations for the young, professional and other special interest groups to affiliate with it.

g) To urge the Party to continue working towards the realization of 50 - 50 gender representation in all decision-making institutions.

h) To urge the Party to make provisions for the adequate funding of all its programmes, including the impending primary elections and harmonised elections.

i) To discourage the use of money for personal political benefit.

j) To urge the Party to utilize local talent and resources to identify projects for income generation and employment creation for the benefit of the Party and the community.

k) Instructs the Party to ensure that Government enforces the de- registration of errant NGOs deviating from their mandate.

2. NATIONAL ECONOMY, INDIGENIZATION AND EMPOWERMENT.

• Whereas the fountain and foundation of sustainable economic development for the benefit of all Zimbabweans is the ownership of and control over the country's God given natural resources by the indigenous population;

• Commending Zimbabweans for their revolutionary resilience, vigilance and total commitment which are now showing tangible evidence of irreversible success in all the 14 key sectors of the economy which are the target of the Party's indigenisation and economic empowerment thrust, most notably in the areas of agriculture mining and tourism sectors;

• Encouraged that at long last justice has prevailed following the clearance and endorsement of the unfettered sale of Zimbabwe's diamonds by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) notwithstanding the continuation of the illegal and evil economic sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe by the UK, US, EU and the White Commonwealth countries to the detriment of the wellbeing of ordinary Zimbabweans;

• Satisfied that through the historic Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment programmes, at least seven Community Share Ownership Trusts, namely, Chegutu-Mhondoro-Ngezi-Chivero-Zvimba in Mashonaland West, Marange-Zimunya in Manicaland, Zvishavane and Tongogara-Shurugwi in the Mildlands, Gwanda in Matabeleland South, Bindura in Mashonaland Central and Hwange in Matabeleland North have been launched and 148 Employee Share Ownership Trusts have been established;

• Noting that according to the United Nations, Zimbabwe is among the top five countries with the highest sun intensity in the world, acknowledging the use and importance of solar energy;

Now therefore, Conference resolves;

a) That all the sectors of the economy must fully comply with the Indigenisation Act.

b) That all investment related laws that are in conflict with the Indigenisation Act are amended to align with the Indigenisation Act.

c) That De Beers be investigated for illegal mining operations carried out by the company in Marange under the guise of exploration. The investigation to establish the quantity of the diamond bearing soil scooped out of the Marange area and transported to South Africa as well as determining the actual value of the diamonds thus illegally smuggled out of the country.

d) To urge the Party to spearhead the decriminalisation of mining operations undertaken by the gold panners ["makorokoza"] and implores Government to give them mining licences so that they operate lawfully.

e) To urge the Party to spearhead the adoption of currencies of the BRICS countries and other emerging economies as legal tender in Zimbabwe alongside the US Dollar.

f) That the Party should intensify and apply the Community Based Cattle herd Rebuilding Intervention programme and the ZANU PF Cattle Breeding Project in all provinces.

g) That Government should prohibit the externalisation of the peoples' bank deposits.

h) That the artisanal and small scale miners be incorporated into mainstream mining through support such as provision of equipment and training in modern mining. This will create massive employment.

i) That the Party takes a leading role in the establishment of an Agricultural Commodity Exchange that should provide a vibrant market to drive the agriculture sector.

j) To urge the Party to push for legislation for banks to lend to key sectors of the economy at affordable rates and to offer substantive real rates of return on deposits so as to mobilize and encourage savings.

k) To call upon Government to set a Zimbabwe's Minerals Exchange as a vehicle to ensure that there is no external listing of Zimbabwe's mineral assets.

l) To instruct Government to work out modalities for the re- introduction of domestic currency alongside the multi-currency system in order to address the current liquidity crisis and to enable our people to carry out their transactions.

m) That all export receipts should be banked in Zimbabwe with national local financial institutions.

n) Encourages Foreign Direct Investment to compliment domestic Investment and calls upon Government to ensure that foreign investors do not fund their investments through local borrowings.

o) Applauds the Party for intensifying the Indigenization and Empowerment programmes as the basis of creating a new breed of employers who are conscious of the national interest to create wealth and provide more employment.

p) Recognizing that the shortage of power is the single biggest inhibiting factor to economic growth and cognisant of our abundant coal reserves, coal bed methane deposits and Zimbabwe's strategic position within the Southern African Power Pool and the growing demand for energy in the region, calls upon the party to spearhead the development of a power generation industry by promoting favourable investment opportunities in solar, ethanol, hydro, biogas and wind energy sectors.

q) To call upon the Party to urge Government to promote nationwide utilization of solar energy and to develop solar energy capacity.

r) To condemn the MDC formations for promoting neo- liberal, anti- people financial policies that have stunted agricultural production, starved funds to key economic enablers like water and sanitation, energy and the social services sectors and denied liquidity to the national economy.

3. SOCIAL SERVICES

• Appalled by the rampant corruption in urban councils that are under the control of the MDC formations across the country and which have resulted in abominable service delivery, particularly in areas such as education, health, water, power and urban roads that have led to periodic outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and all manner of water borne diseases.

• Noting the acute food deficit across the country, especially in rural areas;

Now therefore, Conference resolves;

a) To call for the unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions to facilitate the restoration and access to sound social services infrastructure.

b) To exhort the Party to restore full service delivery after the elections.

c) Urges the Party to ensure that Government through the responsible ministry and Government departments to attend to the construction and rehabilitation of roads in both rural and urban areas.

d) To direct the Party to urgently take remedial measures to redress the rapid decline in the quality of the education system alongside the deterioration of national sport and recreational facilities.

4. REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

• Encouraged by the growing spirit of regional solidarity within SADC demonstrated by the continuous engagement and interaction through the forum of Secretaries General of liberation movements in the region whose regular meetings have created new networking opportunities between and among the liberation movements and their countries;

• Alarmed by the escalating instability in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its geopolitical implications that threaten to destabilize the wider Great Lakes and Southern African regions;

• Concerned about the involvement of external players in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and their wanton disregard of the sovereignty of the DRC in violation of international law;

• Disturbed by the continued abuse of multilateral institutions by NATO countries in pursuit of their neo-liberal unilateralism and foreign policy interests in search of elusive solutions to their crippling financial crises as exemplified by the Eurozone crisis that threatens to collapse the EU;

Now therefore, Conference resolves;

a) To express gratitude for the messages of solidarity conveyed to the Conference and the unanimous condemnation of the illegal economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.

b) To congratulate the Palestinian State for becoming an observer member state of the United Nations.

c) To call upon the United Nations to expedite the process of granting self determination to the Saharawi people.

e) To congratulate Xi Jingin upon his election as Secretary General of the Chinese Communist Party.

f) To note the re-election of President Obama and call upon him to repeal ZIDERRA and unconditionally lift the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe.

6. MEDIA, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Noting the strategic importance of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the comparative advantage of connectivity in political mobilisation and as critical tools for advancing the development of a knowledge based economy;

• Concerned about the widespread abuse of the social media by regime-change seeking countries for purposes of negative propaganda to fan disunity, hatred and engender instability;

• Dismayed by the continuing violation of international law which has undermined the GPA through the sponsorship of pirate radio stations by the British, American and Dutch governments that respectively sponsor SW Africa, Studio Seven and VOP;

• Encouraged by the Party's new thrust to apply ICTs in its internal management systems demonstrated by the introduction of its Electronic Card;

Now therefore, Conference resolves;

a) Condemns the American, British and Dutch governments, for violating international law and undermining the GPA guaranteed by SADC and the AU, through sponsorship of pirate radio stations in aid of their political proxies with intention to effect illegal regime change.

b) Condemns EU, America and white Commonwealth countries for supplying ICT gadgets, such as cell phone, decoders, radios to communities to create conditions for the broadcast and spread of falsehoods to distort so as to undermine confidence in the electoral process and trigger Arab - style civil unrest.

6. WOMEN'S AFFAIRS

• Recognising the crucial role that women played during the liberation struggle and continue to do so and paying special tribute to past heroines, like Mbuya Nehanda;

• Cognisant of the leading role that the Party continues to play in championing the cause of women towards the realisation of gender equality in all socio- economic and political spheres;

• Grateful for the role women play in sustaining livelihoods of families under the harsh and illegal economic sanctions imposed on our country by imperialist forces;

• Concerned by the ever increasing cases of gender based violence perpetrated against women ;

• Acknowledging that women continue to be under represented in positions of decisions making institutions;

Now therefore, Conference resolves;

a) That the Party should spearhead and take the leading role in ensuring greater representation of women in all decision making institutions so as to attain the 50/50 ratio set by SADC and AU in its protocols.

b) That the Party calls on all its members to be involved in the campaign against gender based violence and commits to advocate for the deterrent punishments of perpetrators.

c) Calls upon the Party to implement deliberate policies to empower the rural women so as to reduce their chores.

d) To adopt more systematic, sustainable, continuous education and training policies for women to facilitate their skills development and empowerment.

e) To urge the Party to encourage young women, professional women and women in special interest groups to integrate and affiliate with the Party.

f) Urges the Party to develop and institute a mechanism for the utilisation of Community Share Ownership Trust and the Sovereign Wealth Fund facilitate value addition.

7. YOUTH AFFAIRS

• Recognising that the youth constitute the majority of the population;

• Acknowledging that the youth are a significant national resource and play a pivotal role in the national economy;

• Noting that unemployment is a major concern and challenge negatively affecting the wellbeing of the youth;

• Cognisant that the youth represent the future leadership of the country in all spheres of society;

• Applauding the adoption of a new Youth National Policy to be launched soon;

Now therefore, Conference resolves;

a) To reaffirm past resolutions that called for the acceleration of provision of land to youths and call for concrete steps for their full implementation.

b) To call for a deliberate policy advocating for a quota system in all leadership positions in both parliamentary and council seats for the youth.

c) To call for the appointment and deployment to strategic positions in Government, Diplomatic Services, Parastatals and state enterprises.

d) To call for speedy disbursement of youth empowerment funds to districts and wards by the responsible Government Ministry to facilitate the much needed development capital to the jobless youths.

e) To condemn the harassment and arrests of youth in small scale mining deemed to be illegal panners.

• Noting that the primacy of Zimbabwe's cultural heritage is the moral basis of indigenisation and economic empowerment;

• Celebrating Zimbabwe as an African country, multi-cultural; multi-religious, multi-lingual and modern, whose strength lies in the unity of its people;

• Respectful of the institution and role of traditional leadership and aware of its historic function as the first line of defence in the struggle against colonialism, cultural imperialism and Westernisation;

Now therefore, Conference resolves;

a) That the Party takes a leading role in identifying historic places and locations where major battles took place during the First and Second Chimurenga and to build shrines and museums at those places to commemorate and immortalize heroic sacrifices.

b) To urge the Party to review and broaden the educational curriculum in primary and secondary schools to include the teaching of the history of the Liberation Struggle.

c) That the Party should institute research programmes to design ways and means of protecting and enhancing the African cultural heritage.

d) That the Party should promote the design and implementation of the teaching of a curriculum from Kindergatten to tertiary education to promote core values that underpin the African way of life.

e) That the Party should promote cultural dialogue with religions of all faiths.

f) That the Party should establish cultural centres from district to national level for cultural education and the holding of arts workshops.

9. CONSTITUITION-MAKING PROCESS

• Whereas on September 15, 2008 the Party signed the Global Political Agreement (GPA) with the two MDC formations whose main objectives included the making of a new constitution based on the views of the people and subject to a referendum within 18 months of the start of the process;

• And whereas a Select Committee (Copac) was set up in April 2009 under Article VI of the GPA to spearhead the Constitution Making Process and produce a draft constitution within 18 months after which there would be a referendum on the draft to be immediately followed by the holding of harmonised elections;

Now therefore, Conference;;

a) Deplores the delaying tactics employed by the MDC formations which have caused a constitution-making process that was supposed to take 18 months to last but has so far taken 44 months and is still going on with no certainty as to when it would be concluded.

b) Is outraged that the draft constitution produced by COPAC on July 18, 2012 deviated in serious material respects from the views of the people expressed during the COPAC outreach exercise and which are contained in the National Statistical Report.

c) Reiterates that any draft constitution emanating from the Copac constitution making process must adhere to and conform with the views of the people expressed during the Copac outreach exercise and repeated at the Second All Stakeholders' Conference.

d) Calls upon the Party to resist all attempts and machinations by some international forces and their local proxies to smuggle nefarious values and practices onto the proposed new constitution.

e) Implores the GPA parties to conclude the constitution making process before Christmas this year, failing which the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces should in terms of the law issue the relevant Proclamation dissolving Parliament and fixing a date for the holding of the harmonised elections under the current Constitution.

AllAfrica publishes around 2,000 reports a day from more than 130 news organizations and over 200 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 2000 news and information items daily from over 130 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Lagos, Monrovia, Nairobi and Washington DC.